Start a tenant association

What is a tenant association?

If you rent your home or rent an apartment in a building, you might consider starting a tenant association. Like a neighbourhood association, a tenant association is a group of tenants who live in a building or area. They work together to take on projects or to speak up about issues that concern tenants. Tenants in your building or community are elected by their fellow tenants to run the association.

Why start a tenant association?

A tenant association can:

offer a more effective way to address community issues or problems

give tenants a stronger voice and an opportunity to make a difference

make sure you tackle problems with the benefit of different perspectives and skills

be a great way to start social activities in your community, such as parties, events and other initiatives involving many people

What would you do if your community was littered with used needles, condoms and crack pipes? What would you do if one of the children on your street was stuck with a discarded needle? How would you feel watching a little girl suffer the devastating effects of taking anti-HIV and Hepatitis-C drugs after a needle prick?

For Chris and Lisa Grinham of Lowertown, it was all too much to bear. In 2006, they founded Safer Ottawa after discovering little was being done to address the runaway drug addiction, petty crime and discarded needles in their community. They lobbied the City, police and the province to do something about it. They fought hard to address public safety issues they felt were going largely unchecked. They managed to get support, securing the tools they needed to safely collect and discard of used needles and other drug paraphernalia, including puncture-resistant Kevlar gloves and bio-hazard collection tubs.